What are we doing in the garden 2025

I am going to pot up some of my salvia seedlings and re-plant the soil blocks that didn't germinate. I've only got part of a bag of potting soil left and since it is compressed, I have no idea how much is really there so I am going to fill up my "give away" seedling pots that I plan to hand out this year. Then make some more soil blocks. More or less see just how far the leftover will go before going out and buying more. I have several large pots that haven't been filled yet however they are also usually the last ones to be planted.

How is it that I keep needing larger amounts of compost/potting soil every year? I had bought 5x108 liter compressed bags and it is still not enough!

 

Dug up some lavender that was becoming boring and planted some Lauren’s Grape poppy seedlings in its place. Still got some seeds if the seedlings resent the root disturbance!

 

Plant “gifts” can be tricky to accommodate, @CostasK. Still, on the plus side, at least it wasn’t something likely to grow enormous and take over the whole garden.

 

Spent the weekend fence and gate painting - accompanied by traffic noise and lots of motorbikes on Sunday. Also, the unexpected appearance of a male, semi naked body at the window next door . The Wagtail and Robin were flitting about looking for more mealworms and keeping me company, to.

 

Can I ask what your mix is for your blocks please? I have soil blockers coming my way this week, on the internet/social media everyone has a different mix, I guess it’s down to location and climate more than science? Thanks.

 

@CarolineL The colour scheme is (in theory), predominantly ivory/cream and apricots with darker muted colours as an accent. I've been working on that colour scheme for a couple of years but it hasn't really panned out yet. Last year was a rough one for us and the garden got pretty much abandoned. Most of what I grew from seed was just rubbish so I decided this year to buy plugs if they were available so the garden would look at least half decent this year. Ideally I'd like more perennials than annuals but that's not proving as easy as I'd hoped!

 

Bright sunny weather, did some digging, followed by some more digging, then after lunch some more digging. Followed by taking the weeds down to the compost heap.

 

This sounds like one of my worst nightmares. Is there anywhere you can tuck it out of sight? Someone gave me some modern silver ornaments but my living room is deep red in a dark academia style with antique bronze metal accessories. All I can do is put them somewhere less prominent. Alternatively, is there someone you could gift it to? If your neighbour asks, you could always say that you passed it on to someone you knew who was looking for a new rose.

 

@Februarysgirl I know what you mean. I have a similar pet hate - it is when friends bring home decor as a gift. It's very unlike they will match your style exactly and even if they do, you might not have space - which can make things awkward when they are curious about what you have done with it.

Regarding the rose, it would be from one of the neighbours further up the street rather than next door. I do think it's sweet, plus I like the idea that they thought of me as "the rose guy" They have never been in my back garden, we just say hi when I am in the front one, so they won't actually know what I have done with it.

For now, I will hold on to it out of sheer curiosity - I want to know what it is like! And when the neighbours come forward, I won't be lying when I say it's in the back garden.

After it blooms, if (as I expect) it is a standard hybrid tea rose, it's going to get the boot...

 

Today I removed several canes from two clumps of bamboo, allowing only the largest, most upright, colourful canes to remain (it’s a tough regime here ). I have been struggling to find anything that will cope with the shady corner alongside my sitting area where the soil is about 6 inches deep and above solid sandstone. I removed the 3 salvias that I put there last year as they kept leaning towards the sun and the flowers were insignificant. I replaced them with 3 Hakonechloa macras which I moved from my lower garden. I then weeded the border and topped it with 3 bags of soil improver, one of which included a crushed empty cola can (thanks!). I finished off by hosing down the paving nearby and watering a few recently planted perennials. I didn’t think they could wait until the rain forecast for Friday, after the first dry week this year .

 

Have actually made a proper start on the veg patch, digging it over, I tend to only dig for about 15 minutes a day as the old back is not what it was.

 

Well I got all my roses pruned on Saturday , Golden celebration has been evicted to the garage site and replaced with Helenium sahin early . Moved a large Hydrangea Lime light to where the Heleniums were and a Viburnum watanaba where the hydrangea was, the ground is still to wet to work with so didn't bother moving anything else .

This is the area I've been doing over the winter finished now but for a sweep round, land drain under the pebbles . Used to be grass but always wet through. Made a start on another area / path for putting some more stone down and fixing yet another land drain , it shouldn't take to long to complete .

 

Very impressive workmanship there @Perki!

 

That's looking grand @Perki.

I didn't do a lot today as a friend and I went to a GC for lunch. Really surprised to find the car park was full - on a Monday so goodness know what it was like over the weekend. Must be the sunny and warm weather. Resisted the impulse to buy any plants and just got the boring routine stuff, H.Grit, Rose Food and 1st Early 'Foremost' see potatoes for OH. Good to have a 'day off' and enabled my back to recover after yesterday's efforts.

 

Lovely weather in East Yorkshire last couple of days. The sweet peas I sowed last week are popping up and growing on, and this weekend I have mulched the pots, mown and fed the lawn, fed the borders, sowed Cosmos and planted by bare root Echinacea and Rudbeckia.

Feeling very Springy!